One Step At a Time
by Hagumi
Summary: [AxC, KxL, DxM][AU][OOC][R & R] All Athrun was expecting when he came to the University was to get an education and meet some new friends. However, what awaited him was nothing like anything that he could have ever imagined...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Gundam Seed/Destiny does not belong to me.

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_Ring. Ringgggg._

"Hello? Is that you, Cagalli?" Near the kitchens of a cafe, a pretty girl with sea-green eyes and short, stylish brown hair in a waitress uniform of cheerful spring green and white blouse, skirt, and apron ensemble answered her cell phone. She had been allowed a break time of fifteen minutes due to the unusual slowness of business today, which was why she was answering her phone at all – usually she was a very competent and diligent worker.

"Yeah, it is. I'm glad you picked up – I thought you'd be busy serving people. Anyway, I'm just calling to tell you that I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Would you apologize to your boyfriend for me?" Across the lively college town of Heliopolis, a slim-figured girl with ruffled short blond hair was hurriedly descending a set up marble stairs along with fifty other students. Once she reached her bike, she dumped her books into the basket attached to the front of the handlebars and started pedaling down the street.

"Don't rush yourself too much. The business is really slow today – it must be because all the professors are giving tests this week. More people are at dorm rooms or libraries than at cafes." Miriallia opened a window to get some fresh air. She tucked a strand of hair behind an ear and leaned against the wall, looking out at the sunny streets outside. "Oh, and," she added, remembering the rest of her friend's dialogue. "Dearka is _not_ my boyfriend."

Cagalli laughed as she continued on her way. "Sure, sure. Hey listen, I'll see you in a bit, okay? It's a little hard steering this thing with one hand."

The brunette frowned a little, although she wasn't really mad – she'd deal with Cagalli and her teasing later. "All right then, see you. And be careful!"

"Yep. Bye, Mir." Cagalli grinned at her closed cell phone before stuffing it back in her pocket, thinking how cute and frustrating at the same time it was that her best friend continually denied that their manager had any interest in her.

"Miss Haww! Just because I give you a fifteen minute breather doesn't mean I'm permitting you to slack off and gossip with your friends!" A tall, tanned and a rather good-looking blond boy walked towards her with a mock frown on his attractive face. Miriallia's heart skipped a beat, as it always seemed to do whenever he approached her suddenly.

Only a second later, she retaliated, heartbeat returning closer to normal pace. "I apologize for my incompetence, Mr. Elthman! I promise to never _ever_ take another break, even if you beg me to!" She mockingly saluted.

The older boy blinked, then laughed, his rich tenor voice sending a shiver down her spine. She laughed along. "Come on, more customers have come, and what'll they say when they see that our prettiest waitress isn't here as usual?"

She grinned. "You're something else, Dearka, flattering innocent girls like me to trick them into working like slaves – I can see right through your sweet talk!"

They laughed again. "I swear I can't trick you, my dear Miriallia," Dearka said cheerfully as he walked out to where the customers were waiting to be served. Averting her face so it couldn't be seen, Miriallia smiled a little as he started taking orders.

'Boyfriend, huh? No way.'

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Cagalli sped up on her bike a little, not really because she wanted to get to work any faster, even though she enjoyed working at the café, but because she loved the feel of the wind rushing by her face and tousling her hair. She loved riding through the streets like this, when the sky was sunny and clear.

'Two exams down, three more to go. Tonight I'll review over the materials for that biology exam and then tomorrow afternoon I can study for that journalism exam…'

Her thoughts were already planning out what she was going to do for the next twenty-four hours. She couldn't wait until when exams were over – the professors were always a little easygoing after they gave tests. She was looking forward to sleeping for more than two and a half hours a night.

"Oh crap, I have to return this book to the library." She spotted her blue-covered library book mixed in with her notebooks. She realized she could drop it off on her way to the café and so stopped in front of the massive brick building after a short while. She quickly ascended the steps to the entrance and entered the calm, soothing, bookshelves-filled building. Cagalli paused for a while, taking in a deep breath like she always did – she loved inhaling the smell of books whenever she entered. She was dropping off the book and was about to step out again when she heard her name being called.

"-alli. Hey, Cagalli." She turned and saw a good friend, Kira Yamato approaching her. She smiled a little at his ruffled and tired-looking figure; it was clear that someone else had been sleeping for two and a half hours too.

"Hey. What's up?" They exited through the thick oaken doors together.

Kira rubbed his violet eyes and yawned. "Sorry – I'm really tired right now and all I want is some sleep. I'm never going to sit through my computer science exam in this condition." The blond girl 'tsked' her disapproval, looking at her worn-out friend with a scrutinizing eye.

"You should watch your health, Kira. At this rate, you probably will fall asleep in the middle of the exam. Maybe you should take a nap before? What time do you have it at?" They had reached the bottom of the stairs and Cagalli and Kira were standing in front of Cagalli's bike.

"Um…it's in two and a half hours. I guess I could squeeze in some naptime." Kira rubbed a bleary eye and glanced at his watch.

"Well, get some rest. And remember to set the alarm – you don't want to miss the exam. And good luck!" Cagalli said, smiling a little as Kira yawned for the hundredth time since she'd met him just five minutes ago, a small voice in the back of her mind thinking about how cute he looked even when he was dead tired like this.

"'Kay. Thanks, Cagalli. I'll see you later." Kira waved as he saw his blond friend pedaling away.

About a minute or two later, her phone started to ring again. "Is it Milly?" Cagalli wondered out loud. "I'm not that late, am I?" She stopped her bike and fished out her phone from her pocket once more. "Hello?"

But it wasn't Miriallia this time. The clear, beautiful and absolutely unmistakable voice greeted Cagalli in its owner's usual cheerful way. "Hi, Cagalli!" The brown-eyed girl blinked. "Lacus?"

"Yes, it's me! Long time no talk!" A smile grew on Cagalli's lips. Even being on the phone with this girl could make people happy. "I wasn't expecting a call from you. What's up?"

"Well, I have some news and I have a request to ask of you," said Lacus on the other side. "I finished my project early, so I'm coming back to the University three days from now, instead of next week."

"Really? That's good to hear – everyone here has missed you a lot." Cagalli knew that their friends would have the same happy reaction when they heard this news. "And the request? Would you like me to pick you up at the airport?"

"No, I'll be okay. But I have a friend who's coming to our school and he's arriving tomorrow evening at the airport. And I was wondering if you wouldn't mind picking him up? I was planning to go myself, but seeing as how I won't be there until later, I won't be able to. And I'd like you to meet him so he feels welcomed."

"Oh, sure. I'm free tomorrow evening so it won't be a problem. What time is his plane arriving? What's his name? What school is he transferring from?"

"Oh, oops- his name is Athrun. Athrun Zala. He said his plane was arriving at eight. And – well, I'll tell you more about him when I get there. It's kind of a long story."

Cagalli nodded. "Ok, sure. So I'll pick him up tomorrow at eight in the evening."

The long pink-haired girl smiled on the other end. "Yes. Thank you Cagalli! I'll see you soon."

"Mm-hm. Bye." The petite blond girl started once again on her way to the café, wondering about this mysterious Athrun Zala.

Cagalli realized with a start that she took too long at the library with Kira and on the phone with Lacus. "Time for a shortcut. Dearka's going to kill me." Cagalli turned towards a less-used path that went through the woods.

'Almost there…' Then,

**_CRASH_**

With a surprised shriek, Cagalli remembered being thrown off her bike as it skidded down the steep slope, veering off the dirt path before she fell unconscious.

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"Urgh…" Squinting her eyes, Cagalli woke up to bright fluorescent lights overhead. Where was she? Screwing up her face at the familiar smell of cleaning alcohol and disinfectants, she looked around at the light blue curtains that surrounded her bed. Hospital. Sitting up with some difficulty, she realized that her left leg was wrapped in a cast. "What on earth…?"

"Miss! Are you all right now?" from her right appeared a tall boy who looked to be about her age with light brown skin and short dark brown hair. His chocolate brown eyes were wide with concern as he approached her.

"Er…yes, I am. Wh-what happened?" Cagalli asked, looking at the boy questioningly.

"Well, I was driving down the wood area and I saw something – or someone, as it turned out – sliding down from the dirt path and I found you unconscious and your bike was nearby. Its chain broke, which is probably why you fell in the first place. Anyway, so I brought you over here when I found you. You sprained your ankle and one of the bones in your leg is fractured, the doctor said. It's good you didn't hurt your head, though."

"Ah…I see. Thank you so much for bringing me here." Cagalli said, smiling gratefully at the boy. "Do you go to this university?" The boy nodded.

"Yes, I do. My name's Ahmed. I think I might have seen you around before, but I'm not sure. Are you in the law school, by any chance?"

"No, actually I'm studying at the medical school. My name's Cagalli. Cagalli Athha. Um…thanks for saving me again. I guess that teaches me not to speed downhill." She laughed as they shook hands.

"Miss Athha! Finally awake?" One of Cagalli's instructors, Dr. Erica Simmons who worked in the emergency room area, walked in to the curtained space that surrounded her bed.

"Dr. Simmons! Yes, I'm fine now." Cagalli smiled up at her favorite teacher. The auburn haired woman looked down at her student. "You'd better be more careful from now on. What would your mother say if she heard of you being careless?"

The blond girl felt her face heat up a little. "I guess I'll get an earful when she hears of this," she admitted. Dr. Simmons laughed. "Don't worry about it too much. Oh, and here are your crutches. Your leg will take about six weeks to fully heal, so you'll have to use these until then."

Cagalli's face fell. Using crutches would mean she would take more time to go places. And she wouldn't be able to work as a waitress, at least for the time being. Wait…her job! She hadn't called Milly since the accident. She wondered how much time had passed.

"Well, I'll be leaving now. If you have any questions or need anything, feel free to call." After Dr. Simmons left, Ahmed turned to Cagalli.

"I could drive you to your dorm." He offered.

"Thanks," said Cagalli as she smiled gratefully at her newfound friend and slid off the bed, holding herself up a little unsteadily.

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**Author's notes: Constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to review with your thoughts/opinions/etc.! Thank you!**

**_Hagumi_**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed Destiny

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"Gosh, I'm so glad you're all right, though." Miriallia sighed in relief for the thousandth time since Cagalli had retold her day's events. The blond girl gave her friend a grin.

After Ahmed had dropped her off in front of her dorm, she had found about a thousand messages on the answering machine, as well as her cell phone, which she found out later that, going with the unlucky flow of the day, had run out of battery just after Cagalli's talk with Lacus, preventing her from calling Miriallia until she reached her dorm. "Don't worry about the job – I'm sure Dearka will save your spot until your leg heals. But what did you say that guy's name was again? Ahmed? What a nice guy!"

Cagalli nodded. "Yeah, I owe him a big one. Oh yeah, and I have a favor to ask of you." Miriallia nodded, asking her to go on. "Well, Lacus called me before and she asked if I could pick up a friend of hers from the airport. Apparently he's transferring to this school or something, but in this condition I don't think I can do anything. Would you mind picking him up instead? He's coming tomorrow evening at eight."

"Sure, I don't mind. Do you know him?" Miriallia asked.

"No, Lacus didn't really get a chance to tell me anything about him except that his name is Athrun Zala." Cagalli replied.

"Hmmm…Zala. Where have I heard that name before?" The brown-haired girl asked out loud as she tilted her head in thought. "It sounds familiar…"

Cagalli yawned. "Does it? I've never heard of it."

Miriallia stood up from her seat. "Oh, you must be tired. Get some rest, ok? I'll see you tomorrow." And with a smile and a wave, the brunette left Cagalli's room to head to her own, which was located only two doors down the hallway.

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In the studio, Lacus finished cleaning out the remnants of her possessions from the desk that had been hers and closed the cardboard box. Before picking it up and leaving, she exited the office and entered the stage across the hallway through the back doors. Smiling, she walked onto the slightly dimmed expansive area.

If she closed her eyes, she could still see her peers and colleagues running around while various actors and actresses practiced their scripts, sang and danced. She could see the countless people who wore the indigo t-shirt with the white block letters spelling out 'STAFF' in the back, running around with earphone and mike headsets, making sure that the lighting was how it was supposed to be, that the music entered at the right time, that all the props that were needed were there and much, much more that Lacus couldn't list right now.

Sighing in content and at the happy memories of hard work, she descended from the stage and slipped in through a side door near the back of the performing hall. She looked at the various machines and switches and equipment that she had learned so much about that controlled everything electricity-related on the stage. Her long slender fingers gently brushed over the buttons and control sticks and switches, as her eyes remained focused on the window that faced the stage. Down the hall, doors opened from one of the lecture halls and she heard laughter and talk bouncing off the hallways as peopled poured out.

"Lacus?" The pink-haired girl turned around to see her advisor, Ms. Ramius at the door. She smiled brightly, walking across the small room to meet the brunette. "Makes you miss this place already, doesn't it?" The middle-aged woman laughed softly and her student simply nodded.

"I've learned so much while studying here…everyone has been so nice to me and so helpful. I hope I can return here one day with more knowledge and perform." The cerulean-eyed girl said happily.

Murrue Ramius nodded approvingly. "I'm sure that'll happen pretty soon. We'll be waiting for your performance here. Have you finished packing? Do you need help with the boxes?"

"No, I'll be okay. I only had one box to finish today since everyone helped me so much yesterday." Now the two women were walking down the hallway back to the office with Lacus' box.

"That's good then. Come on, everyone must be waiting." Murrue picked up Lacus' box (ignoring her protest) and started out the door.

"Waiting?"

"Yes – we're buying you dinner since it's your last night here." Lacus' eyes widened in surprise before she nodded and happily ran after her instructor.

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And now, here she was, on the plane back to the university. She was sad to leave behind the theater and performing arts academy and all of its wonderful staff and performers, but she was excited to go back and see all of her friends, too. And Athrun was back! It had been a while since she had seen him, since he had been engaged in helping with his father's world-renowned project in space.

Lacus leaned back on the seat and looked out at the pale blue sky and at the wispy white clouds.

It would be different seeing Athrun this time around.

Not that she didn't want to see him – she had missed her close childhood friend dearly since they hadn't seen each other in over a year due to their busy schedules—but there would be a certain feeling of pressure that wasn't there before. She knew that this idea had existed ever since the two had met as young children, but now that they were "of age", as the parents liked to call it, there were the not-so-subtle hints from both sides for the two to be engaged.

Not that she was entirely opposed to the idea; she quite liked Athrun. They held special places in each other's hearts because they knew each other so well. Of course, both had been extremely popular in school but no one else knew them like they knew each other. After all, it had been for Lacus that Athrun had built his first-ever robot, and it had been for Athrun that Lacus had composed her very first song. They had gone on a few dates and dances together, but hadn't really pursued further into developing that type of a relationship.

She snapped out of her reverie as the announcement system on the airplane crackled as a man's voice broadcasted a message. "Would all passengers please buckle their seat belts at this time as we will be starting our descent in fifteen minutes. Thank you."

"Lacus! Over here!" She turned to her left to see a small group of people. They were waving at her and smiling. Breaking into a happy grin, she rushed toward them.

"Miriallia! Dearka! Athrun! Kira!" Lacus happily hugged her friends whom she had missed so much.

"It's been a while, Lacus. I'm so happy to see you again." The cerulean-eyed girl turned to the smiling tall and handsome young man who stood before her.

"Athrun! It's been forever!" She laughed happily before embracing him warmly. She did the same for her other friends as well and they laughed and exchanged greetings.

"I'm sorry more people couldn't come, most of them are in classes. But don't worry – we're going to throw an enormous party for you this evening and everyone will be there!" Miriallia said cheerfully.

"I'm just happy that you took the time to come out here. Oh! And how is Cagalli?" Lacus asked as they exited the airport and loaded her luggage into Dearka's minivan.

"Oh, she's fine. For the first couple of hours she wouldn't stop whining about how hard it was for her to get around, but you know her – she moves around like she was practically born with the things now." Dearka laughed at the memory of Cagalli pouting and complaining.

"And I'm so happy I have a roommate again! It's been lonely having a room by myself." Miriallia said happily.

"Same here! Although my room at the Academy was too small for anyone to get lonely in." Lacus laughed.

"Speaking of the Academy, how was it?" Kira asked from the backseat. "From your letters it sounded like you had a lot of fun."

"Oh, yes! The University has an amazing theatrical staff and instructors, but since the Academy focuses solely on the performing arts, there aren't many schools that can beat it in that department." And for the rest of the ride, Lacus chatted animatedly about how she and a group of students had volunteered to help a local middle school which didn't have much money to run and show a musical performed by its students. It had been a great success and the school had raised enough money to host another musical for next year.

"LACUS!" No sooner had Lacus and Miriallia finished carrying all of her luggage to their room a certain familiar and much-missed blonde sped toward them at the fastest speed possible while on crutches.

"Cagalli!" Lacus met her halfway and the two girls were soon hugging and squealing and talking a mile-per-minute.

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"No way! So you're planning on _marrying_ that guy?" The trio had finally calmed down and had sat down in Lacus' and Miriallia's room. The pink-haired singer had just finished the story about herself and Athrun. Cagalli looked awestruck as she reached for another handful of pretzels and munched on them.

"Well, I don't know for sure, but that's what's being implied very strongly by our parents nowadays." The girl in the center of attention straightened her lavender skirt, her hands unable to stay still.

"Do you like him?" Miriallia, lying on her stomach on her bed, asked.

"I don't know. We've been very close friends and I like him as a friend very much, but I haven't ever…thought of him like that."

"I haven't known him very long, but he seems very nice. And he looks absolutely gorgeous. If you want him, you'd better claim him quickly; you're going to have rivals pretty soon." Miriallia joked. "In fact, I'd say give him to me except—" she turned suddenly bright red and ducked her face.

"Except what? Except that you like a certain tanned blonde hair guy by the name of Dearka Elthman?" Cagalli teased her friend mercilessly.

"No! It's not that! It's just that, I-I'm not interested in dating anyone right now! Hey! Hey, you two, stop laughing!" The brunette futilely tried to stop her two friends from laughing.

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"Athrun?" The emerald-eyed boy turned to face Lacus.

"Hey," he said, smiling as she joined him on the bench.

"What are you doing here by yourself?" Behind her, the loud music and bright lights could be heard and seen from the party going on inside. "There are girls waiting to dance with you – it won't do you any good if you disappear."

He smiled. "It's just that I haven't been to many parties like these and I needed some air."

"Ah, I see. I can understand that – I think everyone feels like that after they've been in there too long." She tucked a stray strand of hair behind an ear.

"Athrun man! What are you doing here by yourself?" Dearka had come out too. He stopped when he reached fairly close to them. "Oh, I see. I didn't know you two were an item, but I could see that coming. Well then, good pick, Zala! I was going to introduce you to some girls but you don't need help with that." The tanned boy winked before turning back. "Have fun, you two!"

"A-Ah, no it isn't like that!" Athrun and Lacus said at the same time. Dearka stopped.

"Oh? Well then, what are you waiting for? There's a train of girls waiting to meet you, Zala! Let's go! You too, Lacus! You're the focus of the party, after all. What're you doing out here?" The blonde boy dragged his two friends back inside, much to Lacus' amusement, although she honestly could not see the courteous and quiet Athrun hitting on girls like Dearka expected every guy to…

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"Ugh. All that partying last night – I can't believe we didn't go to sleep until five in the morning." The bleary blonde girl rubbed her eyes tiredly before giving up and plopping her head back down onto the armrest. "And I couldn't even dance, for crying out loud! What was I doing until then?"

"Don't ask me – but you probably wouldn't have been able to go to sleep with all that noise anyway. Oh well, it was still a good party. We all needed one after all that intense studying." Miriallia yawned from her place on the comfortable stuffed chair in the lounge. "And I have to work in an hour."

"Speaking of which," Cagalli said with her eyes closed, "Dr. Simmons got me a job I could work on until this heals."

"Really? What is it?" The brunette turned her head toward her friend in interest. She was relieved that her blond friend had acquired one so quickly – all the places she had tried had said they weren't hiring as of now.

"Tutoring. Apparently one of her undergrads is having a hard time with the topic they're covering now so she asked me to help out. The girl seems nice enough, and the pay's not bad either."

"Hey, I'm happy for you! Are you meeting her today?" But before Cagalli could answer, the door to her room slammed open and a red-faced redhead stormed down the hallway and appeared in the lounge. Something in her pose set the alarm bells ringing in Miriallia's head.

"Athha, just to let you know? You'll have to look for a new room soon. Sai wants to move in with me. We are, after all, engaged. And we need some quality time with each other." The girl said haughtily, tossing her waist-long red hair over her shoulder.

"WHAT?" All traces of tiredness flew away from Cagalli's voice a she jerked her head up. "You can't just do that, Allster! I know you're spoiled, but even you can't make someone move out because you want to screw your boyfriend more than 12 hours a day!" Cagalli retorted at her roommate, Fllay Allster.

"Can too!" The red-head's face darkened its angry flush. "Obviously you don't know the amount of power I have around here Athha, but you're going to find out real fast. Remember, my father, the _dean_, can arrange anything I want to happen around here. Good luck finding a place, Athha! Although since it's the middle of the year, I'm sure it'll be nearly impossible. Just make sure you move out by the end of the month. Or I'll have your crap thrown out by force." With one last scathing smirk, the girl walked back into her room.

"HEY! ALLSTER COME BACK HERE!" Miriallia had to throw herself over Cagalli to hold back her friend who was now seeing red.

"Cagalli! You can't solve anything if you go and beat her up!" The brunette said, firmly holding on to her resisting friend.

"So you're telling me to just do as she wants! I'll show her what she can and can't do around here! Regardless of who her father is!" Cagalli said through gritted teeth as she stubbornly fought against Miriallia.

But eventually the brunette won and the two collapsed into their former positions, panting. "I know how you feel but Dr. Allster wouldn't do anything if it goes against what Fllay wants. You know that." Miriallia said with frustration. "You'll just have to look for a new room. I'll help you."

Cagalli groaned. "What the hell's with the bureaucracy and corruption around here?! And just when I thought I could have some peace! What's up with me and bad luck these days?"

"I would offer to let you live with Lacus and me, but there are strict rules about how many people can live in one room…" Miriallia bit her lips worriedly.

The blond girl looked at her friend and gave her a weak smile. "It's okay, I'm sure there's somewhere I can live in. I'll just have to ask around."

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"Hey, Athrun!" The blue-haired boy turned around to see his new friends, Kira and Dearka. He stopped in his tracks and waited for them to catch up.

"Where are you headed off to?" Dearka asked once they reached him.

"The cafeteria. I thought I'd grab something quick to eat before going to the library." Athrun answered.

"Ahhh…studying hard from your first day here, huh? Well, we'll join you, if you don't mind. Kira here can get pretty boring after a while." Dearka said, an easygoing smile gracing his lips.

"What? Hey!" Kira said indignantly as the three continued to joke on their way to the cafeteria.

It was later, in front of the steps leading up to the library, that they encountered her.

"Athrun! Athrun! Athrun Zala!" The three turned to see a girl with pink hair a shade darker than Lacus' running up to them.

"Who—?"But before Athrun could finish, the excited girl had flung her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Athrun! Don't tell me you don't remember me!"

"…Meyrin?"

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**Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone who has read the first chapter. And to jenniferseedlover, this is definitely an Athrun x Cagalli fic, so don't worry! I honestly couldn't pair Cagalli up with anyone else except for Athrun and vice versa. **

**Thank you for reading and please critique! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Seed Destiny

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"It's been what, four years now? I was so surprised when mother said you were going to study here!" The red-haired girl said happily.

The blue-haired young man chuckled. "I didn't really know myself. I knew you and Lacus were going to the same school, because mother mentioned it, but I didn't put the two and two together until now."

After their unexpected meeting in front of the library, the two had headed over to a café near the campus that Meyrin visited frequently. From the crowded and bustling atmosphere, it was clear that this was a favorite of the students in the university. Athrun's attention turned back to the redhead in front of him. He thought she hadn't changed at all from when he had last seen her as a high school student. Her hair was still shoulder-length and tied into pigtails, although they weren't adorned with clips and ribbons as they had been in former years. Her blue eyes were still bright and cheerful as ever, and he noticed she still had a hard time sitting in one place, just as she had been when he had last seen her.

Athrun had known Meyrin, much like he had known Lacus, since the two were young, through their parents. Although he hadn't been as close to the redhead as he had been to Lacus, Meyrin was like a younger sister he had never had. Of course, with school and helping with his father's work, Athrun hadn't seen his younger friend in a while, so they spent a good two hours relating what had been going on in their lives for the last few years to each other as they enjoyed each other's company.

"I was honestly a little surprised that you were going to attend college though. I mean, couldn't you have learned everything from your father? Since you're going to be working with him after you graduate anyway, right?" Meyrin asked curiously as she swirled her straw around her nearly-empty glass of strawberry smoothie.

"I'm going to be working with father but he's very busy and doesn't really have the proper time to teach me. My parents thought it would be better if I attended college so I could devote all my time to studying and meeting new friends." Athrun replied, remembering how upset his mother had been when his father had taken him to space for long periods of time, taking him away from his friends and family in Earth.

The redhead nodded. "I can understand that. I'm so glad I'll be studying in the same school as you!" She glanced at her watch. "Oooh, Athrun, I'd better go. I have to meet my tutor in fifteen minutes."

Athrun nodded as both of them stood up from their booth. "Okay then. Would you like to have dinner together today? Lacus and I were going to meet up for dinner. You haven't seen her yet, right?"

"No I haven't! And yes, I'd love to have dinner with you two. When should we meet?"

"How does six o'clock at the Misuzu restaurant sound?" Athrun couldn't help but smile at Meyrin's enthusiasm. She nodded happily.

"That's great! I'll see you then!" She waved cheerfully before running off.

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"So you see, even if it's a little abstract, molecular biology could be your easiest bio class once you grasp the basic concepts." Cagalli told her student as they finished up their first lesson.

"I hope so. I guess I've always thought of biology as something more material, even if I know better than that by now." The redhead sighed. "But I'll get better at it since I'm getting extra help." Meyrin smiled hopefully at the older student. "I mean," she continued as the two girls packed their bags and headed out of one of the many small study rooms in the main library Cagalli had borrowed for their tutoring session. "Dr. Simmons is awesome, but she treats everyone like they should already know what she's talking about. I know she's renowned and everything and I hear all her medical school students love her, but us undergrads struggle with her pace a lot."

Cagalli laughed. "Yeah, you have a point there. The woman's brilliant, but she doesn't teach well unless you ask the right questions, and sometimes that takes pestering her a lot, which annoys her if you do it the wrong way or at the wrong time. But you're a good student – you wouldn't be in the premed track otherwise. All you need is a little help." The blonde couldn't help but grin at how the younger student beamed at the small compliment and assurance.

"So I'll see you again on Thursday?" Cagalli asked. Meyrin nodded. "I'll see you at 2 o'clock in the same room." The blonde nodded her agreement and waved as the younger student walked in the opposite direction.

"Cagalli!" She turned around when she was halfway to her dormitory and saw a familiar figure walking toward her.

"Ahmed!"

"Hey." The brown-haired young man slowed down from his jog when he was nearer to her. "How's your leg? I see you're pretty good with those crutches."

She smiled up at him. "Yeah, they took a little getting used to but I adapted pretty quickly. Thanks again for that day, by the way. I owe you one."

Ahmed grinned. "Nah, you would've done the same thing for me. Hey, are you busy right now?"

Cagalli looked at him quizzically. "Now? Not really. I was going to go to dinner and do some homework. Why? Do you need help with something?"

"Ah, no. It's just…do you want to go have dinner together?" She blinked at the unexpected offer then shrugged, grinning happily at the welcomed offer of free food.

"Of course I do!"

()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()

"Thanks for the dinner Ahmed. I had a good time." Cagalli said as the two walked out of the Italian restaurant that he had taken her to. She frowned a little as he opened the passenger door for her. "I told you already that you don't have act like such a gentleman. I can open the door myself…"

Ahmed simply grinned down at her. "Yeah but isn't it hard to get in the car with crutches and all? Don't worry, I'll make you open my door for me when you're all healed."

She laughed, finally relenting and sliding in the seat. "Deal."

The brunette smiled as he walked quickly over to the other side to get in the driver's seat.

Twenty minutes later, they were in front of Cagalli's dorm building.

"Sorry. I'm usually pretty good with roads." Ahmed apologized again after constantly having to ask Cagalli for directions.

"It's okay, this building's pretty tricky to get into from the main road." She reassured him, unbuckling her seat belt.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to get used to coming here." Cagalli was a little surprised by this comment and she must have looked it, because he quickly added, "well, because if we're going to hang out together in the future and everything."

"Actually, you probably won't."

He blinked in confusion. "Eh? W-why?"

Cagalli turned and grinned at him, amused at his shocked face. "Well, I have to find a new place to live."

Ahmed mentally sighed in relief. "Really? But," he frowned. "It's probably hard to find a place at this time of the year."

His blonde companion nodded. "Yeah, tell me about it. Hey, if you find anyplace good, tell me, okay?"

He grinned. "Of course. Do you have anyplace particular in mind?"

"Hmmm…well, no. All I need is a really cheap place. Like, for three hundred dollars a month?"

Ahmed did a double-take. "_Three hundred dollars_?" It would be impossible to find a place that cheaply.

Cagalli laughed lightly, while mentally flinching. "Is that pushing it a little? What about four hundred?"

He didn't know what to tell her. If she was a medical school student, wasn't she smart enough to know that the rate of living skyrocketed as you moved closer and closer to a city? It was true that housing was cheaper in the campus, but there was no way he could find a place with the prices she had set. "…Um." He uttered uselessly, feeling like a fool for offering to help. He hoped she wasn't serious.

The blonde girl laughed. "Just kidding. I'm pretty good with stuff like this. I'll see you around, okay?" She carefully slid out of her seat. "Thanks again for tonight!" She waved and he watched her enter the building.

When she entered the main door, she leaned against it and let out a sigh. "I guess I really was pushing it…" And she headed upstairs to her room. On her way there, a quick glance at the door told her that Milly and Lacus were still out.

She froze in front of her own door, hand already turned on the knob. The blonde furrowed her brows in frustration and annoyance and sighed, forcing herself to gently let the knob turn back to its original position. From former experience and being careful, she had learned to discern when Sai came over and she knew he was in there right now and she knew she definitely did not want to witness her room right now either. She wondered which god up there she had offended to be given a room assignment with Fllay Alster.

Biting her lip to keep herself from screaming, she turned back and decided to go to the library to study, glad that she had her books with her.

()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()

**Author's Notes: Has any of you experienced that feeling when you know how you want the story to go but you can't write the way to get there? For me, I have how the ending (or the scenes very near the ending) is going to be, but I'm struggling with these development chapters. Still, I think writing like this works as an exercise so I'm more prepared to tackle other writing. And it's therapeutic! Anyway, thank you for reading and please critique!**


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